I don?t know about you, but Divas Live is one of the events that I look forward to every year. Call me a loser, but you just don?t get enough glam attitude on televison nowadays.

This year VH1 cooked up a lineup of divas to pay dues to the one and only Aretha Franklin. But this year the guest performers were not those of a usual Divas Live.

Kevin might wear a skirt every once in a while, but that doesn?t make the Backstreet Boys eligible for the show. And who on goddess?s earth crowned Marc Anthony a diva?

Nonetheless, the show went on.

Aretha took the stage with a dress that would make Jean Paul Gaultier think she has no taste. But, once Franklin started singing the audience understood why this show was a tribute to her.

?Chain Of Fools? was, as always, an example of her mastery of soul. Everything was going well, until three of the backseat boys started barking like hungry dogs ? I guess they call it vocalization.

Then, Janet Jackson appeared in an elegant black dress, stealing the show for a second, to introduce an Oprah Winfrey-narrated documentary on the queen of soul.

The clip briefly documented Franklin?s progression from a young talent to a seventeen-time Grammy winning icon, also including the fact that she was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Next, Jill Scott, a newcomer who is constantly compared to Franklin, performed her rendition of ?Natural Woman.? Later, she took off one high heel to perform the ?the one-shoe jam? ? her latest song ?A Long Walk,? which will make you want to grab someone and force them to walk with you around the block.

Nelly Furtado dazzled the audience with her down-to-earth manner and the hit ?Like A Bird,? while wearing a dress and trainers. After the Furtado tune, Mary J. Blige took the stage to duet with the star of the show.

While the show was not equivilant to the first one, ultimately it was satisfying.



Divas Live is still alive and kicking

For graduated senior Helen Jackson, who hadn’t been able to go home for breaks for the past two years, these last few months have been a much-needed break. “I’m moving halfway across the country in July for my PhD program, so I probably won’t be able to come home very often after this,” she said. Read More

Divas Live is still alive and kicking

While you were out enjoying your summer vacation, your humble Presentations Chief has been hard at work updating and standardizing the page templates for the print editions of the Campus Times. Read More

Divas Live is still alive and kicking

After walking around campus, as well as other areas such as parks in Northwestern New York, spotting birds has become more commonplace. The resident bird species are singing, foraging, and preparing to nest while many migratory birds are starting to arrive. Read More